Zoroastrian dietary practice is shaped less by rigid food taboos and more by a deep concern for purity, moderation, and reverence for creation. Food is ideally pure, fresh, and clean, prepared and consumed with good thoughts, words, and deeds. Intoxication is discouraged, yet moderate drinking that does not cloud the mind is traditionally acceptable. Gluttony, greed, and wastefulness are viewed as distortions of the proper relationship to sustenance, which is seen as a gift to be received with gratitude rather than exploited.

Meat-eating is generally permitted, and there is no universal obligation to adopt vegetarianism, though some communities or individuals may choose a more plant-based diet under the influence of ethical or cultural considerations. What is clearly rejected is carrion or meat from animals that have died naturally or have been improperly slaughtered, because such flesh is associated with decay and ritual impurity. The underlying concept of nasu—impurity linked to death and corruption—means that rotting, stale, or contaminated food is to be avoided, and any contact with corpses, bodily fluids, or polluted water renders food unfit for consumption. Animals allied with the “good creation” are to be treated humanely, and unnecessary cruelty is condemned.

The preparation of food is closely tied to the broader purity laws of the tradition. Clean hands, clean utensils, and a clean cooking space are not merely hygienic ideals but religious obligations. Water and fire, regarded as sacred elements, must not be polluted with waste, blood, carcasses, or other impurities, and this shapes attitudes toward slaughter, cooking, and disposal of leftovers. In some orthodox settings, there are additional purity expectations around who prepares food and under what conditions, though practice varies widely among communities.

Rituals such as the Yasna, Jashan, and Afrinagan often involve offerings of milk, fruits, bread, wine or haoma juice, water, ghee, and sometimes meat, with the central requirement that these offerings be wholesome and ritually pure. After consecration, such food is commonly shared among participants as a tangible blessing, reinforcing communal bonds and gratitude toward Ahura Mazda’s creation. Severe fasting is generally discouraged, as maintaining strength for good deeds is valued more than ascetic deprivation, though simple or reduced eating may occur in certain contexts, such as mourning or personal devotion. Across these practices, the guiding thread is a disciplined yet life-affirming approach to eating, where purity, respect for the elements, and ethical regard for living beings are held in careful balance.